Under Your Shadow
by Osteri
Summary: AU. When given a second chance, Voldemort's life turns out unexpectedly. The magical community in England is in peace. Harry Potter grows up as an arrogant boy, being the son of a Marauder. As Harry Potter starts his sixth year, Voldemort's daughter decides to attend Hogwarts. A mystery begins. Most likely no pairing for Harry Potter.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: This is simply a fan-fiction; the world of Harry Potter has always and will always belong to JKR._

_A/N: For the purpose of this story, some of the characters, such as the Weasley Twins, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum are younger than they are in canon. This story has been inspired by The Darkness Within by Kurinoone. _

_Edit: I combined the Prologue together with Chapter 1._

* * *

**Prologue**

_It's not fair_, he thought. He saw the bright green light rushing towards him. _It's not fair at all._ He had dedicated all his life to working, and studying to become the powerful Dark Lord he currently was. He had actual ideas and goals for the future of the magical community. He had started from the very bottom, and painfully took each step to rise up to the top. Yet, this mere boy, who barely lived and experienced less than one-fourth of what he had been through, was standing there in front of him.

_Harry Potter._ That name, his being almost became an obsession. Harry Potter was everything he was not, but eerily the most similar person to himself. That was what made him mad. _Angry. _They pitied the boy. He had grown up as an orphan, being mistreated by his relatives. _He _too had grown up as an orphan, but no one pitied him. People admired Harry Potter; they expected great things from him, but no one expected anything from a poor little half-blood. Harry Potter was born into wealth and fame. _He_ had to work his way to wealth and fame. In the end, the boy even won. _No, it's not fair. _

But of course, he knew life was unfair. Ever since he was old enough to understand pain. Not just physical pain, but emotional pain, he knew you could never rely on the fairness of life. So even as he fell to the ground, or even as his body slowly turned into ash, he couldn't help the malicious contentment he felt. _This isn't the end of Lord Voldemort. Oh yes, Harry Potter, this isn't the end._

* * *

**Chapter One**

* * *

_Not Exactly as Planned_

Lord Riddle was sitting behind his magnificent desk staring at the latest report that was given by his Death Eaters. He shook his head, barely containing his fury. The progress for taking over the Ministry from the inside was taking much longer than his patience could bare. However, he was left with little choice, as the alternative, taking over by terrorizing the magical community had proved to be fruitless. Many things were not going as planned, but it was better than he had expected.

The night he was supposed to die, Voldemort had once more escaped death. Horcruxes weren't his only safeguard to guarantee immorality. After his rebirth during Harry Potter's fourth year, he became paranoid about death, and researched further into other forms of magic. Using his own knowledge, and his connection with the Unspeakables, he was able to use a rare form of Time Magic. If all his horcruxes were destroyed, and if he was killed, then instead of his spirit moving on, he would be sent back in time. Although it would be painstaking to redo everything, he decided he would use the opportunity to reach his goals quickly and efficiently.

However, not everything had gone according to plan. As powerful as Time Magic was, it was also unpredictable. Voldemort believed he would know everything about the future, but was surprised as things turned out differently. Being as intelligent as he was, he realized not only _his_ actions would affect the future, but every small little actions made by others would cause chain reactions to alter the future greatly. Therefore, during his second life, Voldemort found himself falling in love with a muggle-born witch. She was smart, witty, sarcastic, beautiful, loyal, and also his first friend. They met in the orphanage when he was 6 years old. Though she looked like a small delicate girl, she was able to scare off all the bullies away from him.

At first Voldemort kept her in his company to use her as a loyal servant, but as the years passed, he began to love her. Her name was Emma White, and the two friends and lovers were inseparable. Of course he didn't give up his goals. He still wanted to take over the magical community in hopes of improving the privileges of all magical beings. However, Emma encouraged Voldemort to be more _Slytherin_. To be exact, she would tell him "stop acting like a Gryffindork, and take over from the inside, Tom". She also told him to be a puppeteer, and work in the shadows, so that when trouble arose, he would be able to cut the strings and allow his puppets to take the blame. She wouldn't have been considered nice by normal standards, but Voldemort knew she wasn't evil. Despite everything, by the time they graduated Hogwarts, she was his everything. They got married, and he worked his way up slowly, determined to take over the ministry from the inside.

Another difference from the original timeline was that the Dark Lord Grindelwald was never captured. During the famous battle between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, no one had managed to defeat one another, and in the end, Grindelwald fled. He wasn't heard for a long time, and rumor had it that he was gravely injured and was in hiding to recuperate, and rebuild his army. However, he was always considered to be Europe's problem, not England's.

As the years passed, Voldemort had gained a good amount of wealth, and even became a father in 1960 on November 1st. He also had a second son in 1969. By the 1970s, Voldemort was becoming well known and recognized in public. He was considered to be a strict, yet charming man. To a few purebloods however, Lord Riddle was known as Lord Voldemort, a fearsome and powerful mastermind.

By the end of 1978, Voldemort was surprised when his wife said they would be having another child. And, on October 31st, 1979, Voldemort found himself as the father of a beautiful young girl. This time around, there was no prophecy that Voldemort knew of, and despite his dislike for the Potters, he had left them alone. In addition, England had enjoyed their longest time of peace. Although his progress with the ministry was frustratingly slow, he was happier than he ever thought he could be. However, his happiness didn't last. Two years after the birth of their daughter, his wife and his two son had gone overseas for traveling. Voldemort stayed behind to look after their daughter, but mainly because of work. During the trip, his wife and his two sons had tragically died, when they were accidentally caught in a battle between aurors and some followers of Grindelwald. Voldemort took the news very badly. Although he still hid behind the shadows, his actions became more violent after the death of his wife. He also became more ruthless, and started falling back to some of his older methods from his previous life. He had started gathering followers, as well as killed and tortured people, if he believed it was necessary. He still acted as a puppeteer and did not terrorize the magical community, doing his best to honor his wife's advice.

Raising a child by himself was also difficult. He was almost old enough to be his daughter's grandfather. In addition, he couldn't find enough time to be around her, as he was getting busier and busier with work. Lastly, being around his daughter brought up old memories of his wife, which still caused him pain. However, he still loved his daughter, and was very protective over her.

Voldemort was looking at a picture of his smiling wife, when he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." A beautiful girl with soft, silky black hair, pale skin, and mesmerizing crystal blue eyes walked into the room. She looked a lot like her handsome father, except her lips and smile was exactly like her mother.

"Father, did you call for me?"

"Yes I did, sit down Eve." When Evelyn sat in front of her father, he continued to explain. "You'll be going to Hogwarts this year."

"But father, you've said that the education provided by you is far superior than what they offer at Hogwarts or any other magical schools."

"It is, but there's something that I would like you to do at Hogwarts." He looked at his daughter carefully, and continued. "I need you to make connections with the heirs of powerful families. See if you can also gather information. Adults do not understand how much children actually know, or how easily information can be coaxed out of them."

"I understand."

"One more thing, you'll need to buy a ministry approved wand in order to attend Hogwarts, and we shall leave tomorrow to take care of that."

"Yes, father. By the way, Draco wishes to come by tomorrow, can he?", she asked in a very polite manner.

"Aren't you being a little too cruel to the Malfoy heir." She gave her father a very convincing innocent smile.

"What do you mean?" Voldemort tried to hide his smile as he watched his perfect little girl.

"You know exactly what I mean. You treat him like he's a common house elf." He saw a smirk form on his daughter's lips. It was amazing how she could still look as innocent as an angel while wearing a nasty smirk.

"I beg to differ. He's more like a lost puppy, and I'm giving him a purpose to his life." Then more softly she said, "That house elf follows me around. How can I deny a house elf work?" When she saw her father shaking his head, she continued once more. "I assume you've granted permission, goodnight father."

* * *

_Potter Manor_

August 2, 1996

Harry Potter was in his room changing after a match of Quidditch with his friends and family. His father, him, and Samuel were on one team, while Uncle Padfoot, Joseph, and Stella, were on another team. It had been a very close match, but his team had won, which left a very upset Uncle Padfoot going into the kitchen looking for food. His mother, Uncle Moony, Uncle Moony's wife, and Uncle Padfoot's wife were in the kitchen discussing their children's academics, while Samuel's younger sister was playing with her dad, Uncle Wormtail.

He was just about to leave when Uncle Wormtail poked his head in, and told Harry that his Hogwarts letter had arrived.

"Great!", he yelled, as he quickly ran down the stairs.

"Harry, what have I told you about running?" Lily asked as Harry rushed into the living room.

"Uh, you said I should just apparate? Oh wait, actually that was Uncle Padfoot." Just as Harry expected, Lily turned her attention to Sirius, who stared back at Lily with a piece of muffin in his mouth, and a clueless expression on his handsome face.

Harry got to the pile of letters on the table, and was sorting it out, looking for his Hogwarts letter. He was starting his sixth year in the Fall, and was eagerly waiting for his Quidditch Captain badge, which would arrive with the list of books they were required to buy. However, when he found his empty letter, he immediately knew that the whole Quidditch Captain thing was a prank. As if on cue, 2 boys and a grinning girl entered the room.

"Wow, can't believe you actually fell for it. Why would I give up my Quidditch Captain position, Mr. Potter?" asked a handsome boy who looked a lot like Sirius. His name was Joseph Black, which went against the Black's traditional way of naming a child. He had dark hair and eyes, and was starting his seventh year. The girl standing next to Joseph had blonde hair, and brown eyes. She wasn't exactly beautiful, but she had a very down-to-earth look, and a charming smile. Her name was Stella Lupin, and she was also starting her seventh year. The last boy was Samuel Pettigrew, who was starting his sixth year, like Harry. Samuel was also surprisingly good looking, with blue eyes, and wavy light brown hair. Peter Pettigrew had married a beautiful muggle, who ran away when Samuel was young. That particular story was a taboo subject among their friends and family. Out of the three boys, Joseph was the best looking, and the most popular amongst the female population at Hogwarts. Then Samuel was considered to be the next best looking male. Harry who had green eyes, black hair, and no glasses, unlike his father, was considered to be above average, but not handsome.

"By the way, Stella and I have something to tell you two." Joseph said, as he took Stella's hand.

"Erm.. yeah?" Harry asked, trying not to look angry as he saw the two holding hands.

"We finally got together last week." Stella said, winking.

"Congrats!" Samuel pulled the both of them into a hug. Harry tried to smile as he patted Joseph on the back, with more force than necessary. When the couple left the room, Samuel turned to Harry.

"You okay mate?" Harry sat down on the sofa, and didn't answer for a while.

"I knew I should have asked her out earlier."

"I don't think it would have worked out. I mean, Stella and Joseph were kind of inseparable since we were young."

"Still.. I liked her first." Harry said, knowing that he was sounding very childish at the moment.

"Oh Harry, Harry, why art thou so hopeless?" Samuel mocked, as he sat on the sofa next to Harry.

"Shut it, Sam."

* * *

_Malfoy Manor_

Lucius was very irritated. His son Draco had run off to Riddle Manor once more. It wasn't a secret that Draco was following Evelyn around like a lost puppy. He had tried to stop Draco from lowering himself to that child, but Draco already seemed to be wrapped around her finger. Lucius didn't know what it was, her beauty? power? charm? aura? But, whatever it was, Draco was lost the moment he set his eyes on her. Usually, his son was an obedient child. He never went against his father. However, whenever it came to Evelyn, he seemed to put the girl in front of everything else. He wouldn't mind if the two children became close. After all, Lord Voldemort was a very powerful figure, who he already accepted as his "master" in order to gain more influence for the house of Malfoy. However, Lucius knew that the dedication was one sided. He couldn't even call it a friendship. It was clear that Evelyn was using him, and Draco, whether he knew it or not, didn't mind.

* * *

_Riddle Manor_

August 5, 1996

Evelyn was staring at the new wand she recently bought. It was very precious to her, since the core of this wand was a phoenix feather, just like her father's. It was known that the phoenix who gave its feather to her father's wand had given just one other. However, Mr. Olivander informed them that the other wand had already been sold. Her father was not pleased, and had used all his influence to get Mr. Ollivander to acquire another feather to make her a wand. Mr. Ollivander had tried to discourage her father, telling him that it is the wand that chooses the witch or wizard, but of course her father didn't care. When she did finally get her wand, Ollivander was surprised to see that it worked well. Later that day he told her.

"It's true that the wand chooses the witch or wizard, but if the witch or wizard is powerful, you can will it to pledge its allegiance to you." She wasn't quite sure if she believed her father, but she didn't let her skepticism show.

Eve was still staring at her wand when she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Draco standing in front of her.

"Hi Eve. Is that your new wand?"

"Hello Draco, and yes it's my new wand. By the way, did you find any gems? It's quite alright if you haven't." Draco immediately took out a pouch from his pocket and gave it to Eve.

"Of course I found one. I'm offended that you think I'm incompetent of finding such a petty thing like a gem, for you." Eve lightly placed her hand on his arms.

"Well I'm glad I didn't cause you too much trouble then." Draco looked down at her.

"Even if it is troubling, you know you can ask me anything, Eve." She took her hand off his arm and moved towards the armchairs, motioning Draco to follow her. When Draco got closer, she held up her wand and started to explain.

"I'm going to ask father to embed this gem into my wand, which is the reason why I was looking for regular stones without any magical properties, since it might hinder the magical core."

"Why, plain wooden wand isn't good enough for you?", Draco asked playfully.

"Do _you_ think it's good enough for me?" Draco lowered his eyes to the expensive carpet.

"Even a gem embedded wand wouldn't be good enough for you." Evelyn smirked at Draco's reply.

"It's the best you can do Draco, and I appreciate it." Draco looked up.

"The best? Are you kidding me? I know many excellent crafters who make notable family heirlooms. If you don't mind, you can give me your wand, and then you'll be able to see _the best I can do_." Evelyn handed him her wand.

"Here, show me your best then. I trust you with my wand, because you're my close friend, Draco." He smiled at the fact that she called him a _close_ friend.

* * *

August 18, 1996

Evelyn entered the library, and walked towards the chair her father was occupying.

"Hello father." She greeted him. Voldemort looked up and greeted his daughter, but when he saw her wand, his eyes slightly narrowed. The wand now had a delicately carved pattern, and small gems of emerald and diamond embedded near the handle.

"How much did that cost Evelyn?" Eve smiled at her father.

"None." They both smirked, as Evelyn left the room with a beautiful wand in her hand.

* * *

_Hogwart's Express_

September 1st, 1996

"Harry! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Sam said as he entered the compartment. "Why don't you come sit in our compartment? Joseph, Stella, Fred, George, Lee, and even Cho's there." Harry faked a yawn.

"I didn't get much sleep last night, so I was actually planning to take a nap. Why don't you go over there and flirt with Cho, your _dream _girl." Harry replied, giving him a cheeky grin. Sam rolled his eyes, and left the compartment, muttering about how his sexual innuendos were not appreciated. Once the door closed, Harry let out a sigh. Despite his effort, he hadn't been able to get over the fact that Joseph and Stella were now dating. He had a crush on Stella ever since he was six, and he always thought she was his. Being as good looking as Joseph was, Harry never imagined that Joseph would go for a plain looking girl like Stella. Harry was angry for his stupidity and confidence that no one besides him would fancy her.

After a couple of minutes, Harry was already getting bored of being alone in the compartment. He briefly considered joining the next door compartment with Ron, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, and Luna. However, he decided against it. They were all nice people, but most of the school viewed them, except for Ginny, as _uncool_. Since _he_ was considered popular, he thought it would be unbefitting of his reputation.

* * *

Evelyn was sitting alone on one side of the compartment, while the rest of the people were squished together on the other side. Draco who was sitting relatively closer to her, introduced her to Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Nott, Zabini, Greengrass, and Davis. Evelyn made sure to make the right impression on the children of influential families, which only consisted of Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, and Greengrass. After the introduction, she was getting rather bored of listening to their mindless conversation. When the trolley lady came by, Draco bought all of her favorite snacks and placed them next to Eve.

"So, nervous about the sorting?"

"No not really, I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Oh really?" Parkinson narrowed her eyes, as she watched Draco acting weirdly around Eve.

"The Sorting Hat is one of the most powerful ancient artifact that currently exist. The value of it does not even compare to an heirloom of the Founders of Hogwarts. But more than the monetary value, it's the magic that's truly valuable. Many centuries have passed, since it's been created by the four great Founders, and yet its magic hasn't waved at all. Not just that, but the hat contains a great amount of information that's been gathered from every mind of all the students that has ever been sorted. To be able to interact with such an artifact would be a great... pleasure." Her eyes turned a light shade of red, by the end of her sentence. Parkinson's face slightly paled when she saw the dangerous expression of desire on the girl's face. The boys on the other hand were drawn in by the powerful aura that she gave off. When the conversation once more returned to the mindless chattering, Eve excused herself from the compartment. Draco was about to follow, but she told him politely that she wanted privacy. Once she left, Nott whispered to Draco.

"Who exactly is she? I think I've heard about the Riddles before, but I don't know too much about them."

"Well, I don't know much either, but my father has been associating with Lord Riddle for as long as I can remember. I don't really think Riddle is an old family line, but they must be very influential to be given a title of Lord. Anyway, Evelyn is-"

"Powerful. I don't know why, but her magic, you can actually feel it. It's almost like Dumbledore's isn't? But unlike Dumbledore's it's really alluring. I never felt such a pull before, and Merlin, she's just 16 years old." Draco's eyes narrowed at Nott. He didn't like how another boy was fussing over Eve. At the same time, he was happy to see that other people had noticed her greatness too.

* * *

Harry was lying down with a Quidditch magazine abandoned on his chest. He couldn't get the image of Joseph and Stella holding hands out of his head, and it was starting to drive him mad. He was in a very bad mood when the compartment door opened, revealing a very beautiful girl with soft black hair, and crystal blue eyes.

"Uh, you lost?" The girl didn't answer, but simply walked in, closed the door, and sat down. Harry was starting to lose his already short temper, and stood up.

"Oi, I asked you a question." Suddenly, without even realizing what had happened, Harry was smashed into the wall, and the girl had the tip of her wand poking into his neck. She had a lazy expression on her face, as she spoke very quietly, but clearly.

"Sit. Down. Boy. I won't disturb you, you don't disturb me." With that, she sat back down, and closed her eyes. Harry looked at her in disbelief. _Who does she think she is?_ With a smirk appearing on his face, he cast the spell _Levicorpus. _To his delight, she was hanging upside down by an invisible force, while her face showed nothing but fury. Then he watched in surprise as she easily canceled the spell, and was standing in front of him with her wand back in his face. But, before she could do anything, he used his Quidditch reflex to pin her against the wall, with her arms behind her back.

"You know, I usually treat pretty little girls like you better, but you're a feisty one aren't you?" He said with a smirk. To his horror, a tear ran down from the girl's eyes, and he immediately let her go. He was just about to apologize, when she gracefully kicked him in the groin. She gave him an angelic smile before she stunned him and shoved him out of the compartment.

When he woke up, he saw four people worriedly looking down at him. It took a moment to realize who they were.

"Harry are you alright? Who did this to you?" It was Hermione with all her bushy hair. Harry was about to tell them about the girl until he realized how embarrassing the situation actually was, and decided to go with a lie instead.

"Uh, it was a prank. You know how my friends get." Hermione shook her head disapprovingly, "I don't understand those boys. Why would they think this is funny?" Ron offered his hands warily to lift him off the ground. Once he was on his two feet, he didn't know what else to do, so he thanked the four, and decided to go find his friends.

As he entered the compartment, he tried his best not to look at Stella and Joseph. He unceremoniously sat down next to Cho, and messed with his hair.

"You alright? You look all-" Samuel was cut off by one of the twins.

"Ugly".

"Average", suggested the other twin.

"Grumpy"

"Heartbroke-" Harry had enough.

"Shut it you two." He said, while sending a blast of water towards the twins. Then he gave Sam a glare, while he sheepishly grinned back. Cho placed a hand on Harry's arm.

"But what did happen? You look all disheveled."

"Eh, got kicked out of my compartment by a monster."

"A monster you say?" Joseph asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Close enough." Harry mumbled.

"Which compartment did you come from?" Harry told him which compartment, and he also gave him a warning about going there. However secretly, he was hoping that Joseph would get kicked in the groin, as well. When he came back looking perfectly handsome and healthy, Harry was disheartened.

"You sure it's the right compartment? There was only a girl there. She seemed very sweet and nice." His friend said, and Harry just shrugged and decided to use Cho's lap as a pillow to annoy Sam.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: No war. More people. More kids, so Core classes would only have students from one house, instead of having students from two different houses like in canon. However, Elective classes have students from two houses. Random piece of information._

* * *

**Chapter Two**

* * *

_Hogwarts_

Harry was in a slightly better mood by the time he was sitting in the Great Hall, surrounded by his adoring Quidditch fans. He was telling them about one of the Quidditch games that occurred during the summer, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Stella.

"Hey Harry", she said, sitting down next to him.

"Stella", Harry replied with a bright, genuine smile. Stella leaned in and whispered in his ears.

"Do you have time later at night?"

"Yeah I do, why?"

"Then meet me in the astronomy tower after the feast."

"Alright", Harry said, slightly confused. When Stella left to go sit with Joseph, one of the girls caught his attention.

"Did Stella and Joseph really get together? I simply can't believe it. He can do way better than her." Harry gave her a fierce glare that was out of his usual character.

"She's the most brilliant witch I know." He then turned his attention away from the girls and looked around until he found Sam, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table with Cho. Harry nonchalantly left the Gryffindor table to go sit next to them.

When the first year sorting was done, Harry, who was back at the Gryffindor table with Sam, politely clapped along with the rest of the students. He was waiting for the Welcoming Feast to quickly move along, so that he could talk to Stella.

"I wonder why she wanted to talk to you privately." Sam pondered.

"Dunno either, but if she wants to cheat on Joseph with me, I think I might accept." Sam smacked his head. Before Harry could indignantly complain, Professor Dumbledore continued his speech.

"There is one last student that will be sorted today, and she will be joining the sixth years. Till now, she has been educated at home, so be friendly and help her around Hogwarts, if needed. Please welcome, Evelyn Riddle." The students clapped politely as Evelyn stepped forward, and sat on the stool with the Sorting Hat on top of her head.

More than 20 minutes had passed, and Harry was getting starting to get annoyed by the new girl. He wanted this feast to be done and over, but of course, the new girl _has to take her own sweet time_, wasting everyone's life. The other students around him were complaining for other reasons. Sam kept staring at the golden plates longingly, while he could hear Ron complaining how he was hungry enough to eat a hippogriff. After what felt like a century, the hat finally screamed, _Slytherin_. The Slytherin table politely clapped, while the rest of the houses were making bitter remarks about how a _Slytherin _would _of course _torture them, by staying under the hat for so long. Harry couldn't help but snort, as Ron was staring daggers into her, until she stood up, removed the hat and gave everyone a soft angelic smile. Even Harry was taken by the smile, but suddenly snapped out of it when he realized who she was.

"That's the monster I met earlier."

"The one who kicked your arse?" Sam asked, not removing his eyes off of her.

"It was actually the groin", Harry muttered. Sam snickered, and then stood up to clap and catcall, along with many other guys from all four houses. Once she was seated at her table, he turned over to Harry.

"What's an angel like her doing at ick_y Slytherin_?"

"Oh trust me, she is quite the _daughter_ of Slytherin. Don't be fooled by her appearance, mate." After that, the feast ran smoothly, and Harry, who was too anxious to eat, finished his meal not long after it started. When the desserts disappeared, he impatiently waited for Dumbledore to say his speech, so he could run off to the tower.

"Now that we have all been fed and watered, I have a few announcements to make. This year, the Triwizard Tournament will be held in Hogwarts-"

"Finally! The last one we've seen at Hogwarts was when we were in our first year", Sam whispered.

"We will be competing against Durmstrang Institute, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic-"

"Wow, don't think we've ever been against Durmstrang, right? Wonder why they decided to compete this year", Sam commented.

"As always, there will be an age line for safety, allowing no students under 16 to compete in the tournament-"

"You entering?", Sam asked.

"Eh, dunno yet. You?"

"If I can impress Cho, why not? It's not like I'll get chosen anyway." He stated, while looking over at the Ravenclaw table.

"Who _do you_ think will be Hogwart's champion?" Harry asked, trying his best to hide his curiosity. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Joseph, of course." Harry narrowed his eyes.

"I doubt it", he bitterly muttered under his breath.

"And as you know, the Quidditch tournament will be canceled, as well as the Dueling tournament. The last announcement that I have to make is that Professor Snape has decided to retire in favor of studying abroad for a couple of years. Therefore, Professor Slughorn has come out of retirement, and has agreed to teach Potions. Please welcome Professor Slughorn."

"Awesome, new Potions master!" Sam exclaimed, while he clapped along with the other students.

"We're not taking Potions this year, idiot."

"Oh yeah, couldn't get a bloody _O_ with that biased git. I still can't believe how your mom could possibly be good friends with him."

"Life is a mystery, and let's hope it stays that way."

Once they were dismissed, he quickly rushed up to the Astronomy tower. When he noticed that he got there first, he carefully smoothed out his robes, messed with his hair, and leaned against the wall. His back was starting to get stiff from maintaining that position, when the door suddenly opened.

"Hey Harry." Stella grinned, barely suppressing a comment about how ridiculous he currently looked. Instead, she closed the door behind her, and quickly cast _Muffliato_, and went up to give him a hug. After the hug, which Harry thought was too brief for his liking, he asked her a question.

"So, what is it? Secret relationship behind Joseph's back?", Harry asked playfully, while truthfully meaning every word he said. Stella shook her head.

"No silly, I just wanted to ask how you're doing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, uou've been avoiding us for quite a while." Then she added, a little hesitantly, "Harry... I actually know how you feel about me." Promising Sam a painful death, Harry looked away from Stella.

"You do? Is there anyone that doesn't know?", he asked sarcastically.

"I've actually known for quite a while."

"For how long?"

"Years." Harry stayed silent for a moment. However, he couldn't help but ask her.

"Then why not me? Why Joseph? Is it because of his bloody looks?" Stella sighed in exasperation.

"_No_, it's not because of his looks. It's his personality."

"And, what's wrong with mine?" At this, Stella laughed.

"You're a great guy, of course, but you're still immature. And, I'm not sure if you realized, but you _fool around_ too much. How do you expect to get into a serious relationship, when you behave like that?"

"What do you mean? I've only liked one person in my whole life, and you know who it is. So how is that _fooling_ around?" Stella just shook her head.

"Harry, you flirt with almost every decent looking girl. You're known as a player. I'm not sure if it's because you're trying to outdo Joseph's popularity, but I can't image myself with someone like that." When Joseph's name came up, Harry took a step back, his hands held in a fist.

"Outdo his popularity? Wow, you really don't know me at all." With that, he left the girl alone, and walked back to the Gryffindor tower, fuming.

The next morning, he was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Sam. His horrible mood from the previous night prevented him from socializing like he usually did. He was toying with his food, when Professor Mcgonagall came along, and gave them their schedules.

"Professor Slughorn accepts _Es_, so I suggest you two to take Potions."

"Yes ma'am, as you wish." Sam said with a cheeky grin. Professor Mcgonagall gave him a glare, and moved on.

"Oi Romeo, why are you so down? Does Juliet not like secret rendezvous?" Harry turned his head to the other side.

"Stop it with the muggle reference. And _no_, she is not a Juliet. More like a stupid Rosaline. I'll forget her soon enough."

* * *

Draco, and Eve were standing in the shadow of the hallway. A good looking guy was walking by himself, making his way towards the Great Hall.

"That's the heir of Black, correct?" Eve asked Draco. He nodded his head. "I'll see you later."

Before stepping out of the shadow, she skillfully cast a _Diffindo_, which caused Joseph's bag to rip, spilling the contents onto the floor. Then, she went over to help him. When Joseph looked up, he smiled at her.

"Evelyn Riddle, right?"

"The guy from Hogwarts Express, right?"

"Ah, she remembers", he said playfully. Eve graced him with an innocent smile.

"Sorry, I didn't catch your name last time."

"Joseph Black, nice to meet you."

"The heir of Black?", she asked skeptically.

"Correct."

"Joseph Black. Quite refreshing to meet a Black who isn't named after a star or constellation."

"Quite refreshing to meet a decent Slytherin", he retorted, indicating his items that she helped pick up.

"Oh please", she said, "if Slytherins were really that _horrible_, the house would have been removed from Hogwarts ages ago."

"Well, as long as we use the Sorting Hat to sort the students, I doubt any house could be removed, since the hat will still consider it as an option."

"The Sorting Hat is a powerful piece of artifact. However, it _was_ made by witches and wizards. And, are _we_ not witches and wizards? We can alter it so that it only sorts the students into three houses."

"You really think that's possible?", he asked skeptically.

"Anything is possible, if your will is strong", she said, rephrasing her father's words. "I mean, just look at _you_. A black from the house that honors the concept of _Toujours Pur, _dating a half-blood. Who would have thought it possible?" As she fixed his bag with a quick _Reparo_, she continued, "It's quite a nice change_, _though." Joseph chuckled, and asked her a question.

"By the way, do you enjoy Quidditch?"

"It's alright, why?"

"Well, you should come play with us sometime, I think you'll get along with my friends", he said with a playful wink. They walked together towards the Great Hall, and parted once they reached their House tables.

When Eve sat down at the Slytherin table, she skillfully hid her smirk, and politely socialized with the students around her.

* * *

Harry and Sam were sitting at the back of Potions class. Both had a battered copy of _Advance Potion-Making_ in front of their desk, which they borrowed from the cupboard. As they were waiting for Professor Slughorn to enter the class, Harry and Sam were discussing possible tasks for the upcoming Triwizard tournament.

"Remember the dragons during our first year? I wonder what they'll have this time. Giants maybe?"

"I doubt it. Giants are sentient beings, so they can't be captured or trained to do our bidding. Of course, we can make an offer, or ask for a favor like Dumbledore did with the merpeople, but I doubt the giants would listen."

"Unless we offer human sacrifices", Sam joked, as he flipped through the battered book in front of him. Harry rolled his eyes at his friend.

"They are capable of hunting for their own food, you know. So obviously they would prefer a magical gift, you idiot."

"Okay, the first task can't be giants then. What else is as menacing as a dragon?" Harry simply shrugged, as he looked at his own copy of the Potions book. He was slightly annoyed by the scribbles he saw all over the pages. As he turned to Sam to complain, Professor Slughorn entered the dungeon.

His first class was a lot different than Snape's. There were no dark bitter comments, or series of ridiculously unfair questions directed at him. Instead, Professor Slughorn had enticed the students by offering a bottle of Felix Felicis, liquid luck, to the best potioneer. Harry, like the rest of the students were determined to win the tiny little bottle. However, Harry was doubting his chances, since he could barely read the instructions which were crossed out and written over by the previous owner. Despite his annoyance, he promised himself a brand new copy, and tried his best to make do with the current book he had. By the time class was over, Harry was ready to skip around the dungeons, or even dance with Snape.

In Harry's opinion, Professor Slughorn was a happy, brilliant, but an annoying man. Happy, because anything compared to Snape would appear to be happy. Brilliant because Harry was able to win a small bottle of Felix Felicis. Annoying, because that's just what he was, annoying.

As they were walking out of the dungeon, Sam was still complaining about Harry's copy of the _Advance Potion-Making_, while Hermione was glaring daggers at him.

"Oi, you're the one who handed me this copy, so stop fussing", Harry said, getting exasperated by Sam's complaints.

"_You _obviously have enough luck to be able t_o win_ the potion of luck, so why not just hand it over to unlucky Sam?"

"You wish. If you're trying to use it to ask Cho out, you're going to be needing more than luck, you know." Before Sam could smack his head, Harry quickly walked to his next class, trying his best not to skip along the hallways.

* * *

The days were turning into weeks, and the weeks were turning into months. Soon it was the month of October, and everyone was getting excited about the foreign students who would be arriving this month. Meanwhile, Harry's mother had been sending him letters, singing praises of Professor Slughorn, while Harry's father and Uncle Padfoot were begging Harry for a drop of Felix Felicis. Harry still hanged out with Joseph and company, but it was becoming less often as the days went by. Not only did he found the antics of the couple unbearable, but he was also uncomfortable being around Stella. Despite what he said to Sam, he still had feelings for her. Sam on the other hand, had finally gotten together with Cho, and was spending most of his time with his new girlfriend. Therefore, Harry was finding himself spending more time alone, or with his DADA teacher, Professor Moody, who had been teaching at Hogwarts ever since his second year.

Harry knocked on his office, and entered without waiting for a reply. When he walked in, he saw his professor who had gray matted hair, brown eyes, and one single scar on his right cheek. Otherwise he looked very healthy, despite his age.

"You again Potter."

"Hey Moody, do you have time for a duel?"

"It's Professor Moody, and no I'm busy with essays." Harry sat down in front of Moody's desk.

"Then it's Mr. Potter, and c'mon, I know you hate grading papers."

"Doesn't mean I shouldn't grade it, _Potter_."

"Just a quick duel, _Moody_. I really miss the Dueling tournaments, and the Dueling club. My body is aching for some action."

"Why don't you just go fly around with your friends then." Harry tried to open his eyes, to use the _Puppy Eyes_, but instead, his bulging twitching eyes made Moody back away. Giving up, he tried using another tactic, and replied with as much sadness he could muster.

"They all abandoned me". Rather than sounding sad, it came out as rather pathetic, which made Moody roll his eyes.

"Then make new ones."

"Like who?"

"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, and Mr. Neville seem like good people." Harry sighed at Moody's statement.

"I'm not sure if you know old man, but there's this thing called a reputation that I have to keep. Hanging out with them would completely ruin it."

"You're right, I don't know, and I frankly do not wish to know. I can never understand you young folks. Also, I don't see how hanging out by yourself would help your so called _reputation_", he grunted.

"Nevermind, it's hard to explain."

"Good, don't explain. Now, get out Potter." Not knowing what to say, he went with a lame comeback.

"No wonder people call you _Moody_", Harry said as he stood up. Moody sighed in exasperation.

"It's a bloody _surname_." Moody yelled, before Harry could shut the door. Harry was still thinking how ridiculous Moody's friend suggestions were, when he found himself in front of them. Cursing his bloody luck, he smiled at them.

"Hello Harry", Hermione said.

"Hey guys."

"What are you doing here?", Ron asked.

"I'm, uh, heading towards the library."

"Great, we're going there too." Hermione replied. Harry wanted to smack himself.

"Well, I guess we can all walk there together then." Harry said, and the four of them slowly made their way to the library.

Even though they had been living together in the Gryffindor tower for more than five years, he barely knew the three people he was currently walking with. During his first year, Ron had tried to approach Harry, but backed away when he saw how close Harry was with Sam, Joseph, and his friends. After his first failed attempt to make friends, Ron always remained fairly quiet. Meanwhile, people thought Hermione was annoying for being a know-it-all, and Neville was just poor old clumsy Neville. Therefore, Harry had barely interacted with any of them, but he knew enough to know that they were all nice people. Harry had been pleasantly surprised when he met the Weasley twins who were very outgoing, unlike Ron and Percy. Since Harry already had his own group, he never gave the other three much thought.

When the silence was getting awkward, Harry decided to ask them a question.

"So Neville, how's your toad?" Neville lowered his head, with a slight frown on his face.

"It's been awhile since I've lost it. I've got a Mimbulus mimbletonia instead." Neville brightened up as he talked about his pet plant.

"Oh... that's, uh, great." Harry replied. The silence continued for a while until Harry decided to ask another question.

"Any of you follow Quidditch?"

"Of course! Who doesn't?" Ron replied enthusiastically. Harry was slightly relieved. He didn't expect Ron to be a Quidditch fan, because Harry saw Ron mostly in the library with Hermione and Neville.

"Really? Got a favorite team?" Harry asked.

"Chudley Cannons, of course."

"Oh...I, uh, suppose they're alright." Harry internally sighed. _Of course, what was I expecting_. Hermione looked from Ron to Harry, and then cleared her throat.

"So, are you going to enter your name this year?"

"Eh, dunno, Joseph is entering so I might as well not."

"I don't understand why his decision has anything to do with yours." Hermione retorted. Harry looked at her skeptically.

"Are you joking? Everyone's convinced that he'll become Hogwarts' champion." Hermione simply rolled her eyes.

"Just because he's popular, doesn't mean he's the most qualified to become a champion. If I were you, I would at least try, before giving up."

"Are _you_ entering the tournament?"

"Why would I want to waste my precious time just for temporary school glory, when I can be researching cures for lycanthropy, or studying the mechanics of a time tuner instead?"

"And, what is a Ravenclaw doing in a lion's den?" Harry asked. Hermione simply smiled. _Okay, Hermione isn't so bad as long as she's not in a classroom setting. _

* * *

Draco had tried to be helpful, as Evelyn went around making acquaintances with various students. He didn't mind too much when she was kind to other people, or when other students tried to get closer to her. However, he _did _mind her odd fascination with Harry Potter. She had never approached the boy, like she had with other influential heirs, but always, she studied him from afar, or created situations where she could be near him. No matter how many hours he stayed awake thinking, he couldn't come up with an answer that would explain her behavior.

They were currently sitting at the table, enjoying the Halloween feast. Today was her birthday, so many Slytherins were congratulating Evelyn, which she responded elegantly, and politely. Draco himself had given her a magnificent gift, which had been more expensive than any of the gifts his own father had given him. She had just finished thanking Nott for his gift, when he saw her eyes wander towards Harry Potter again. Without thinking, he decided to bluntly ask.

"Why are you so fascinated with Potter? I know he's the heir of an old family, but it's not _that_ great."

"You don't understand Draco, it has nothing to do with influence and power."

"Then what?", he asked a little impatiently. Eve narrowed her eyes, and it seemed like she wasn't about to reply, when she softly whispered into his ears.

"Harry Potter. My father hates him." Draco was silent, as a frown formed on his face. He couldn't possibly imagine why Lord Riddle would hate a random boy like Potter. Eve looked away, and softly continued, "that's why he's so fascinating".

With that, she slowly stood up, and made her way towards the Gryffindor table.

* * *

It was the dreaded night of Halloween. Students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived the day before. The arrival of Viktor Krum had made the female population go wild. Harry was amused to see even Ron fan-girling over him.

Sam sat down next to Harry, and stared at Ron who was currently glancing over at Viktor. He silently shook his and poked Harry in the ribs.

"That kid has no male pride." Harry snorted at his friend's comment.

"You weren't faring much better yesterday when you saw him."

"Oi, at least I didn't rush up, and ask for an autograph.", Sam retorted indignantly. Harry simply chuckled.

The feast was almost over when Harry saw Evelyn Riddle walk over to the Gryffindor table. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her stop near Joseph.

"Hey Joseph, Stella."

"Hey Eve." The couple replied.

"I heard you entered your name Joseph."

"That, I did. Did you enter too?"

"I'm a _Slytherin_, Joseph, I would use one of my followers to do the dirty work, and then claim the glory after they win." She jokingly chided him. Meanwhile, Harry was looking at their interaction darkly.

"I bet that's exactly what that monster will do." Sam simply rolled his eyes at Harry, and smacked him.

"Still not over the fact that a girl was able to kick your arse?"

"It's not _that"_, he replied with a glare, "there's something dark about her, I can feel it". Once again, Sam rolled his eyes at Harry's comment. Harry narrowed his eyes as he saw Evelyn finish her conversation with Joseph and Stella, and return to her own table.

"So did you enter your name, Harry?"

"Huh? Yeah I did, might as well", Harry replied, finally looking away from Eve.

He took Hermione's suggestions to heart, and decided to at least try. He was having mixed feelings about the whole thing. A part of him wanted to become a champion so that he could prove to Stella that there was more to him that she thought, but another part of him was hoping that he wouldn't be chosen. He had witnessed the tournament as a first year, and many of the tasks had freaked him out, even as an audience member. He couldn't possibly imagine himself actually being a part of the real thing. In addition, although he was a Gryffindor, he also had many Slytherin qualities like being able to wiggle out of trouble, and caring a lot about his own neck. The most dangerous situation he had ever been in, were the duels that occurred during yearly tournaments. However, even during the duels, there were rules, bystanders, and professors regulating it closely. For the Triwizard tournament, it wasn't a secret that people have died before, during the tasks.

Harry was still thinking about all the dangerous tasks that had been held in the past, when the lights dimmed down, indicating that the feast was over. Everyone's attention was on the blue-white flames which were dancing about in goblet made of heavy hewn.

Soon, just like he had witnessed during his first year, the goblet started to spit out names. The champion of Durmstrang was Viktor Krum. The champion of Beauxbatons was Fleur Delacour. Then the goblet spit out the last piece of parchment.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Sorry, it's a short chapter._

* * *

**Chapter Three**

* * *

_Champion_

Harry could actually feel each second that was passing by, as the piece of parchment, floating in the air, was viciously caught in the hands of Dumbledore. Each second seemed to become longer as Dumbledore stared down at it, shaping his mouth to produce the sound of the first syllable of the champion's name. Meanwhile in Harry's head, numerous possible scenes were playing out. The first one was of Joseph winning, and triumphantly smirking down at Harry, while Stella beamed happily. Next one was of a random student becoming the champion, while he and Sam made bets on the likelihood of him/her winning. Lastly, he was imagining himself as the Hogwarts' champion, when Dumbledore's voice abruptly brought him back to reality.

"Harry Potter."

_..._

_Oh FUCK. _He knew he should have drank Felix Felicis. If he did, nothing could have gone wrong. Then he thought for a moment. He wasn't sure if the luck potion would have prevented him from becoming the champion, or ensured him of becoming the champion.

As he walked along the tables towards the door behind the staff table, the faces merely seemed like chunks of colorful blurs, while the noise sounded like thousands of angry little bees. Even if h_e could_ notice the people around him, he wouldn't have noticed the small smirk that formed on Evelyn's lips.

When all three champions were in the room, Mr. Crouch went on explaining the basic components of the Triwizard tournament, and how each tasked served a different purpose of testing this and that. Harry wasn't paying much attention. Then after Mr. Crouch told them the date of the first task, they were all dismissed.

Harry walked numbly towards the door, hoping that his legs wouldn't give in at any moment. He still couldn't believe what had happened. After the long seconds he had to endure while Dumbledore called out his name, the rest of the time seemed to fly by, making the whole experience seem very surreal.

When he reached the door, he saw that the Great Hall was now empty. He made his way to one of the tables, and sat down. He laid his head down, and took a deep breath, trying not to panic. Despite all his big talk, Harry knew he wasn't the _hero_ type. He enjoyed his life, and he didn't really have a death wish. He wanted to stay at the tables for a bit longer, but he saw the caretaker, and his cat making their way towards him, to kick him out. He couldn't help himself, but stare at the squib.

"To be or not to be, Mr. Flinch? That is the question." Damn Sam and his muggle references, which were rubbing off on him.

When he entered the Gryffindor tower, he was _unpleasantly _surprised by the party that the Gryffindors had thrown for him. He graciously took one of the butterbeers Sam offered, and thanked his _fans_. However, not long after, he was starting to get annoyed by their comments that went along the lines of, "Wow, I thought it'd be Joseph, but congrats anyways." He was just about to walk up to his dorm, when he heard Stella's voice.

"Harry! Congratulations, I'm surprised-"

"That it's not Joseph, yeah I get it", he replied, spilling some of the butterbeer as he made wild hand gestures to emphasize that he _really did get it, thank you very much. _Stella sighed at her friend.

"That's not what I meant. Anyway, go rest, you've had a long day."

"Right", he said, somewhat disappointed as he saw Stella leave. This was not how he imaged the conversation would be, after being made a champion. He had always daydreamed about Stella running into his arms, telling him that he was definitely better than Joseph. He had snorted at his own imagination, but he also wish it could have come true. Feeling like he had to say something to the crowd, he turned around, and addressed everyone in the common room.

"Thank you for the wonderful party, and as your _dashing_ Hogwarts champion, I shall not disappoint you", he announced, as he did a mock bow. Some people were jokingly throwing pieces of bread at him, while some of the girls were stupidly staring and smiling. Satisfied with the all the commotion he stirred, he finally went up to his room.

Once he was behind the curtains, he buried his head in the pillows, and cursed his luck once again.

* * *

Evelyn was sitting on her bed, reading a report she had received from a _friend_, concerning Harry Potter. Her eyes went through the list of information, when she found something interesting. It was the description of his wand. _11 inches long, made of holly, with a phoenix feather core. _Her eyes narrowed. It was the exact same description that Mr. Ollivander had given, when he described the wand that had already been sold.

Ever since she was young, the passionate dislike her father held for Harry Potter, had always intrigued her. Although her father never directly mentioned it, she saw the hatred in his eyes, whenever the boy was mentioned. It was different from the usual disgust he expressed when he talked about things like worthless mudbloods. It had always been one of her greatest desire to discover the truth behind the it. Therefore, when her father told her that she would be going to Hogwarts this year, it had been one of the things she was looking forward to.

However, when she found out that Harry Potter was the same boy from the Hogwarts Express, she was greatly disappointed. She had always believed, Harry Potter would be a special kid, to be able to arouse such strong feelings in her father. However, he turned out to be a normal teen, with mediocre looks and skills. Then when she gave it more thought, his mediocrity became more interesting. She concluded that behind the facade of his overall normalcy, there was bound to something different about him.

Therefore, when he became Hogwarts' Champion, she was pleased. For a brief moment, her eyes had changed color, as her desire to uncover the mystery became stronger.

* * *

Harry was in the DADA class, where the students were currently paired off, practicing the Patronus Charm. He had been assigned to practice with Hermione who was lecturing Harry about the spell.

"You've got to use a happier memory, Harry. Or else, you'll only produce wisps of smoke." Harry who was still upset, worried, nervous, worried, anxious, and worried about being made a champion, was finding it difficult to think of a happy memory.

"I'm trying", he argued, as he only managed a feeble smoke once again. Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"Look, think about the emotion you had when you heard your name being called during the Halloween feast-"

"Bloody hell, that's the last thing I want to think about", be blurted before he realized what he was saying. Hermione frowned.

"You mean, you're actually _unhappy_ about becoming the champion?" Harry shrugged his shoulders. Hermione stared at him, and continued, "I don't understand. Then why did you enter your name?"

"You're the one who told me to enter", Harry retorted without malice. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I thought you were simply discouraged, because of Joseph's decision to enter."

"Well honestly, a part of me did want to become the champion. But now that I actually _am_ a champion, I'm not taking it very well. A part of me is convinced that if Joseph was chosen, he would be able to do a much better job than me."

"Oh hush, there's a reason why you were chosen over him. Besides, I understand how you're feeling, but there's no point being upset over it. You've willingly entered your name, which signed you to a magically binding contract, so now you can't back out of the tournament. So instead of wasting all your time worrying, you should use it to practice, and prepare. And you know, I think you'll do great, Harry." Harry looked at Hermione thoughtfully.

"That was actually one of the better encouragements I've received so far. Anyways, please don't mention this to anyone else, it would greatly ruin my reputation." Hermione had to use all her patience to stop herself from rolling her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Another short chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

* * *

_Lurking Dangers_

It was a nice sunny evening, which Harry was wasting in a greenhouse, wrestling with a Fanged Geranium that was trying to take a bite out of him. Once the class was over, Harry and Sam decided to take a quick shower. During the long walk up to the tower, the two boys were once again discussing the possible tasks.

"Now that you're a champion, this topic seems a bit heavier, ey?" Sam asked. Harry blindly nodded, and then asked Sam a question.

"Just wondering, but do you think there's ever been a champion that forfeited a task?"

"I'm sure there have been all sorts of people befor-", Sam paused in front of the Fat Lady, and turned towards Harry, "you know, as hilarious as it would be to see you forfeit, I would have to personally kill you, if you actually did that."

"_I know_, I know. Plus, Potters never give up in the face of challenge."

"More so, because you're also the son of a Marauder."

"Right." They entered through the portrait, and made their way to their bedroom, to grab a change of clothes.

"By the way, how did your parents handle the news?"

"Well, mom was worried, and dad was proud I guess. I think he made a bet with Uncle Padfoot, so he's pretty smug about his winnings."

"Oh dear uncles, what a fine example they set for us." Harry shook his head as they walked out of the room, and headed for the showers.

* * *

The date of the task was getting closer, and Harry was finding it hard to overcome his nerves which seemed to act up more often. Dinner had just ended, and Harry was making his way towards the grounds of Hogwarts, to get some fresh air. On his way, he saw a couple snogging in the corner, and smirked. He was considering pranking the two, when he realized who they were. Stella and Joseph. Before he could slip away, the couple broke apart, and noticed him.

Stella's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her hair was messy, while Joseph remained handsome, even when his clothes were all disheveled. Stella's hands were wrapped around his neck, while Joseph's hands were located dangerously low on her small back. Trying to control his anger, as much as he could, he addressed Jospeh.

"Thought you only lowered yourself to snogging out in the public when it came to all your disposable whores. But, apparently I was mistaken." Harry saw with pleasure, as Joseph clenched his hands in a fist, and took out his wand.

"What's this? Still crying over the fact that I would make a better champion than you?", he retorted bitterly. Harry narrowed his eyes and sent a Stinging Hex towards Joseph, which he easily blocked. "I don't know what's up with you lately, but I'm getting tired of you acting like an arse around me, _Potter_." He grabbed Stella's hand and walked away. As Stella walked passed Harry, she had a cold expression on her face.

"I thought you were better than this." He didn't know why, but her words had painfully sunk into him. He didn't know if he felt ashamed or angry, but her words had oddly left him feeling empty.

With the horrible feeling of loss that drowned his heart, Harry aimlessly walked onto the grounds of Hogwarts. Without realizing exactly where he was going, he found himself on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The night sky was surprisingly clear, and the moon was brightly shining down at him. When he looked back, he saw the magnificent castle, which brought the recent memory to his mind. Without a second thought, he entered the forest, going a little deeper, against his better judgement. After a few minutes, he came to a small clearing. He saw a rock, leaning against one of the trees, and decided this would have to do for his perfectly pathetic escape from reality. Harry let out a sigh. He knew he shouldn't be here, but he felt like doing something stupid and reckless.

A few minutes passed, as Harry stared into the shadows beyond the trees. Before he could thoroughly creep himself out with his own imagination, he heard a noise coming from the other side of the clearing. It took a moment for him to distinguish reality from his imagination. However, when he heard it the second time, he immediately jumped off the rock, and hid behind it. He quietly took his wand out, and waited for the _thing_ to flee or attack, while his heart pounded against his ribcage. As he turned his head from left to right, he caught a sudden movement in the corner of his eyes. Against his better judgement, he decided to step forward to confront it. When he got closer to the edge, to his horror, he saw two huge milky white eyes staring at him. He nervously backed away, as the creature gracefully came out into the clearing. He was about to make a run for it, when he realized what it was. _Thestrals. _Then he froze, out genuine fear.

More than an acromantula, or even a dragon, thestrals were the creatures he feared the most. After his encounter with them during his second year, with the carriages, it was always the object a boggart would turn into, when he faced one. People used to make fun of him for being afraid of _nothing._ Since many people haven't seen death, many weren't able to see the thestrals. He didn't really mind the tease, but what he _did_ mind was the simple fact that he was able to see them, when he was certain that he had never seen death before. Everyone else had dismissed it, saying that he probably just couldn't remember. _But, that was exactly what was ridiculous. _Thestrals could only be seen if you were consciously able to _recall witnessing a _death. However, he didn't, and that was the root of his fear. Those skeletal creatures were always a reminder of how when it came to Harry, things weren't really the way it appeared to be.

Harry couldn't even blink, as he stayed frozen watching the beast come closer. Then quite suddenly, the figure of the black skeletal horse started to change, and in the next moment, a girl was standing in front of him instead. She took a step forward and offered her hand, which Harry unconsciously took, realizing that he had somehow landed on the ground. When he slowly started to regain some of his senses, he said the first thing that came to his mind.

"What the hell?" The girl went over to the rock he had occupied earlier, and sat down. She looked back at him and shrugged. "That was impossible", Harry stated.

"It's called _animagus_, dear child", Eve said in a patronizing manner.

"No I meant, you can't _do _that-I mean, you shouldn't be able to turn into a magical creature." The girl just shrugged again at his statement.

"Just because all the _registered _animagi thus far have been regular animals, bugs, and etcetera, doesn't mean there haven't been _any_ animagus who could turn into a magical creature. It's not the first time people's ignorance have caused them to come up with silly conclusions about magic."

"But I thought one of the reasons why people _shouldn't_ turn into a magical creature was because it's harder to maintain your human consciousness, unlike regular animals and creatures."

"Yes I've heard rumors about some people forgetting who they actually were, while in their animagus form, but rumors are simply rumors. Even if they were true, you must understand that magic always comes with a risk."

"_No_, only _Dark _magic comes with a risk." Harry was getting slightly irritated, as he found himself in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, arguing with a girl who could _literally_ turn into a horrible monster. Eve got up from the rock and walked towards Harry, until they were only inches away from each other.

"Quite the light wizard, aren't you?", she asked with a smirk.

"I rather call myself neutral", Harry retorted. He looked down at her with narrowed eyes. "Who exactly are you Evelyn Riddle? People don't seem to notice, but I can see through all your petty little mask you wear around." Evelyn didn't even bother to hide the coldness in her eyes, as she continued smirking at him.

"_Why_, two points for Gryffindor." She started walking past him, and then paused. "But if I were you, I wouldn't stick my nose where it doesn't belong."

"I don't care what you do, as long as you stay away from my friends."

"Friends as in Black, and that filthy half-blood? The last time I saw you three, it didn't look quite _friendly _to me." Harry's face flushed as he recalled the memory. He was furious about the possibility of her witnessing the whole thing.

"Don't tell me you have a nasty obsession for stalking people around, you freak." Within seconds, Harry saw a red light coming towards him. He didn't have time to do anything else but dodge. Just as he was about to ask _what the hell _she was doing, he rolled out of the way of another curse. However, this time he didn't manage to completely avoid it, and felt the curse graze his right arm, leaving him with a painful slash. He wasn't able to stop the hiss that escaped from his mouth, but before he could say anything, Eve stepped over him, and cast _Silencio_, preventing him from being able to speak. She turned around and made her way towards the castle, but before she left the clearing, she told him one last thing.

"It's called Legilimency, Potter."


End file.
